Post date: Aug 27, 2012 3:23:52 PM
Ethiopia-Meles Zenawi/Mourn -- Ethiopians mourn long-time leader Meles Zenawiý
CCTV BEIJING - Preparations are underway for the burial of the late Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi on September 2 as thousands of Ethiopians continued to pay tribute to him Sunday at the National Palace in Addis Ababa.
Meles' body arrived in Addis Ababa late last Tuesday and was then placed into the National Palace.
The government has organized an event for ministers and the military as well as the wider public to say goodbye.
Normally, the National Palace is a place to discuss domestic and foreign affairs. However, it has filled with people from every corner of the country to express their sorrow for their leader who died of an accidental infection on Monday in Brussels, Belgium.
"You can't imagine the queue, the queue just comes here. In the congress hall, there are a lot of people, more than two to three thousand. There is also another tent which has been already fixed there. There are about three to four thousand people," stated Gedion Moges, a local businessman.
Besides mourning, people also praised Meles' achievements during his 21-year career.
"In the services sector, such as the industry and agriculture sectors, he has brought a visible and tangible change for the country. Moreover, if you take him as an individual being, he is someone who sacrificed himself for the sake of his country. In short, what I want to say is that he is arguably this century's Gandhi of Ethiopia and Africa," said Tesfakiros Hailu, director of the Diplomatic Immunity and Protection Directorate with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Meles Zenawi's popularity seems to have grown since his death as pictures of him on the streets of the country's capital have become a hugely sought after product for sale.
"We are selling our leader's photos. When we say he is the leader who decided to build a dam on the Nile for the public, they buy lots of his pictures," said Ashenafi Arega, street merchant.
From small children to the elderly, everyone loves and adores the former prime minister.
"I bought the picture on the street. I love Meles so much because he was a good person. He was our beloved prime minister," a little girl said.
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